Opinions On Air Brush Brands?

I believe that your work is only as good as your tools. In regard to airbrushes the only brands I use are Paasche, Tamiya and an occasional use of my old Badger 150. I really like Paasche because it's the brand I began with and they are a U.S. based company (Kenosha, Wisconsin) making it easy to get parts and service and you WILL need parts and service at some point. I would personally avoid inexpensive airbrushes from unknown brands due to the fact that when the needle gets bent or the tip goes south you probably won't have much luck with parts and service but it's your decision.

Here's a series of videos I did discussing various aspects of airbrushes:

https://www.youtube.com/playli...fHzfoN9XvvXxucKzjXjQ

Based on my experience with things at Harbor Freight , and with cheap compressors, I would say that if you are buying a cheap airbrush to get an idea of what it is like using it, to play around with it, the cheap one may work out okay, but my take it is you decide you really want to do a lot of airbrushing you likely will upgrade. Airbrushes can be finicky with the good ones (not because they are badly made, but because they just are IMO) and I would be concerned about a cheap one.

Badger, Paasche and Tamiya have great reputations. Sometimes you can find these used where the person bought it and never used it and get a good deal.

Paasche Model H.  Any compressor, but avoid noisy ones.

@bob2 posted:

Paasche Model H.  Any compressor, but avoid noisy ones.

@bob2

In your opinion, will a Harbor Freight compressor be sufficient?

I would avoid HF on something like this. Hobby Lobby sells air brush's and compressors. Iwata brand I think.

Brand really does not matter, so put that way low on your list.

Paasche and Badger are made in the US - according to many on this forum, that is a big deal.

As mentioned above, customer service/parts is important and you will probably need some. I'm a Badger user, but have not really had to use the service department, but I have purchased spare parts for when the time is needed to change them out. I'm sure Paasche is similar.

Air supply not so important as long as you have a moisture trap. Other than that, I agree that the cheap/loud ones are not fun to paint with. Spend a little more and have a good compressor for other uses around the house.

What are you painting? Just like regular paint brushes for different tasks, airbrushes are not one size fits all. Luckily, two airbrushes can cover most needs. One airbrush if you can target your needs, (basecoats, fine detail, thick paints (acrylics vs. solvent based) thin.

Not knowing what you want to paint, I would go for a double action brush and learn to use it. One of the big benefits to a double action brush is that you still release the air without shooting paint. This is a great feature to quick dry the paint between coats.

Charlie

I have the central pneumatic combo kit.   I don’t claim to be an expert, nor do I use it often.  For the price it works well enough for my occasional use.  The compressor runs quiet and I’m not worried about parts for the brush.  It’s cheap enough so I’d just replace it if need be, but that hasn’t been an issue so far. Your mileage may vary

I’ve used Paasche air brushes and they do a very nice job. My personal airbrush is an Iwata double action which is a very high quality tool and gives the user a lot of control. So far I have only used them for painting and they work very well for that but I bought the Iwata for doing weathering (once I learn the techniques and get some practice in).

@Randy Harrison posted:

@bob2

In your opinion, will a Harbor Freight compressor be sufficient?

Pretty much any compressor that can put out a sustained flow of air at 25-30 PSI will be sufficient. More important is having a decent pressure regulator with a moisture trap. If you're going to paint something once in a blue moon, there's no point in spending a ton of money for a compressor. If you're going to be painting things several times a week, then aim for something with higher quality. Personally, I've got a Badger compressor (that Badger doesn't sell parts for), and several airbrushes from different manufacturers (including Badger), but I use the Harbor Freight ones (currently branded as "Central Pneumatics").

Of course, how and what you're painting matters. If you're going to paint fine lines and small detail regularly, you'll want something with a finer level of control (though I've yet to come across anything that the HF ones won't handle personally). I mainly paint large areas of a car a single color, mask, and then blow another color. Having 2 cheap guns allows me to switch on the fly (of course, having 2 expensive guns will also allow you to do that) without having to blow a lot of cleaner/thinner through them between colors.

I have the Central Set with the compressor.  I find it very useful for broad painting such as the side of a building kit or weathering track.  I always thought it was a good deal.  I'm happy with it.  It's a good starter set.  Just remember to keep it very clean.  Even when changing colors I run some airbrush cleaner through it to prevent clogging the needle.  Airbrush paints are fast drying .  

I wouldn’t dismiss Harbor Freight out of hand. I have a Paasche H I have had for 50 years. My go to tool. Also a no name and Iwata double action plus a 5 dollar, (now$10) Harbor Freight copy of the Model H. While mostly plastic the spray tip is metal and well made. Its about the size of Paasche #3 tip. I got it for scenery but am sure it would do a fine job on broad painting jobs. Good to have more than one tool in the tool box.

Pete

Part of the project, not mentioned.   You may need a water trap, between the Air compressor and brush.

I dearly love my Paasche VL. It hasn’t ever changed and parts are readily available. I really recommend getting a double action and getting the hang of it as it’s the most versatile. I find a lot of things to do with it. I like the fact that it’s able to be fully disassembled for cleaning and my VL seems to have held up well to lacquer thinner or acetone cleanings.

Harbor Freight has great accessories such as airbrush holders and cleaning kits. Their compressors are probably fine and look like they’re made in the same factory as all the others currently available.

A nice VL and compressor kit with hose, trap, etc. should set you back around $250 or less if you shop around.

I have been using a 2 Gallon  Harbor Freight Fortress compressor for a couple of years, it’s been a champ. The flow is always steady and the volume level hasn’t changed (they’re not silent, but much quieter than a pancake compressor).

I have tried 2 Harbor Freight air brushes, both sucked.

My Badger airbrush crapped out in early 2019. And I just missed the annual Badger sale, so against all advice I took a shot on a $30 Master G233 airbrush from Amazon. It came with 3 needles/nozzles .2,.3&.5. It’s been a workhorse. I use it almost daily for everything from weathering, to painting structures and even a painted a locomotive. I won’t hesitate to buy another one when this one craps out.

Hi Randy.

As one that does lots of Modeling and air brushing I have many brands.  The ones I actually use the most are the Harbor freight air brushes.  I have two of the Paasche H type and two of the VL. Type. The Harber freight ones are similar to the VL and work great. I use the for lots of the items I weather and items I restore. I have 7 of those air brushes.

The air compressor from Harbor freight I personally think suck. They are extremely noisy and have not lasted for the amount of use we use them. I actually went and found an old Sears craftsmans air compressor they are much quieter and don't sound like they are going to fall apart.   

I have used a Pasche Model H for years and now have 3.    It is nice to be able to replace parts as needed.   I have only replaced tips over the years, as they seem to wear wider from the flow of the paint even though it seems non-abrasive.     I use mine primarily for model painting in manner of spray gun for automotive.   When I need a second color, I mask off.

I did try a buddy's VL once and could get the the hang of it over one project.    It worked but I didn't feel that confident with my skill using the multi position controller.    I think if you do a lot of work, especially on finer stuff, or details, learning to use one would be a good idea.

I can't comment on any other brand air brushes.

As for compressors, I have a harbor freight pancake version that the auto shutoff seems to struggle now after about 5  years.    it will still fill the tank to 100 PSI just sit and churn for a long before shutting off.   

I think any compressor will work.    However, I think you need a storage tank between the compressor and the airbrush.    Preferably one that allows the compressor to turn off for awhile while painting.    I think, and this is an opinion, that without a surge tank you get variations in the pressure at the brush - a sort of pulsing, even when you have have a pressure regulator in line.